Biomedical Applications of Polymer and Composite Based Additive Manufacturing

Dear Colleagues,

Additive manufacturing technologies are reshaping the healthcare industry on a global level, involving medical prevention, diagnostic, and intervention. This Special Issue entitled “Biomedical Applications of Polymer- and Composite-Based Additive Manufacturing and the Development of 3D and 4D Printing Biomaterials” is devoted to the dissemination of high-quality original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and meta-analyses on recent achievements in this multi- and interdisciplinary field.

The use of 3D and 4D printing technologies based on polymer and composite materials have undoubtedly become fundamental in everyday clinical applications. Every new idea, development, or state-of-the-art biomedical procedure strongly depends on the right material selection, and polymeric materials can offer a wide spectrum of mechanical and structural characteristics, along with diverse functional properties. Additive manufacturing can effectively support modeling and prototyping of medical devices, surgical guides, or laboratory equipment, also supporting the fabrication of personalized implants or helping in the design and production of scaffolds for tissue engineering, offering a low-cost and tailorable solution for professionals on the biomedical field. The development of new approaches of additive manufacturing methods further increases the possibilities that different polymers and composites can provide. Regarding the continuous and intensive research activity on this area, it is essential to critically evaluate and characterize novel materials, in terms of structural, mechanical, and thermal behaviors, with special attention to biocompatibility and functionality.

With a focus on biomedical, preclinical, and clinical applications, potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Development and synthesis of polymeric materials used in 3D/4D printing;
• Analysis of polymeric materials for 3D printing for 3D/4D printing;
• Structural characterization of polymeric materials for 3D/4D printing;
• Mechanical characterization of polymeric materials for 3D/4D printing;
• Thermal characterization of polymeric materials used in 3D/4D printing;
• Design, prototyping, and fabrication of polymer- and composite based devices;
• Design and fabrication of biomimetic polymer-based devices with 3D/4D printing;
• Processing and performance of polymeric materials;
• Functional polymeric materials;
• Bio-based polymeric materials;
• Biodegradability of polymeric materials.

Dr. Peter Maroti
Prof. Dr. Florian M. Thieringer
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.